Too much water flow?

Yesterday, I moved my axie to a bigger tank, more appropriate for his current size. I created a spread bar to diffuse the filter flow, but I'm still worried its too much current. I turned it off yesterday to keep stress to a minimum (with the moving and all), but was wondering if it was safe to start running it. Here you can see a few picture of my set up, with a few close ups of his seemingly curled gills: https://imgur.com/a/OullV Looking closely, I can see his gills moving slightly when I turn the filter on.

The large log on the left can be made to stand up, which could help diffuse the flow, but I'm worried he might get stuck inside, since the log's diameter is smaller than his length, and they are not the most graceful animals. My plan was to buy more live plants, and put some on top of the log, which should help slow down the water; but my LFS is all out, so they will have to wait a bit. Till then, is it better to just keep the filter off? Any tips to lessen the flow anymore (in case it is actually needed)?

Have you tried directing the spread bar against the side of the tank?